Two Dollar Bill

The following story is not mine, I copied it from Facebook, so I have no idea who the original author is. Just makes you think if this story is true...

Remember these?

On my way home from work, I stopped at Taco Bell for a quick bite to eat. I have a $50 bill and a $2 bill. I figure with the $2 bill, I can get something to eat and not have to worry about irritating anyone for trying to break a $50 bill.
Me: 'Hi, I'd like one seven-layer burrito please, to go.'
Server: 'That'll be $1.04. Eat in?'
Me: 'No, it's to go.' At this point, I open my billfold and hand him the $2 bill. He looks at it kind of funny.
Server: 'Uh, hang on a sec, I'll be right back.'

He goes to talk to his manager, who is still within my earshot. The following conversation occurs between the two of them:

Server: 'Hey, you ever see a $2 bill?'
Manager: 'No. A what?'
Server: 'A $2 bill. This guy just gave it to me...'
Manager: 'Ask for something else. There's no such thing as a $2 bill.'
Server: 'Yeah, thought so.'

He comes back to me and says, 'We don't take these. Do you have anything else?'

Me: 'Just this fifty. You don't take $2 bills? Why?
Server: 'I don't know.'
Me: 'See here where it says legal tender?'
Server: 'Yeah.'
Me: 'So, why won't you take it?'
Server: 'Well, hang on a sec.'

He goes back to his manager, who has been watching me like I'm a shoplifter, and says to him, 'He says I have to take it.'

Manager: 'Doesn't he have anything else?'
Server: 'Yeah, a fifty. I'll get it and you can open the safe and get change.
Manager: 'I'm not opening the safe with him in here.'
Server: 'What should I do?'
Manager: 'Tell him to come back later when he has real money.'
Server: 'I can't tell him that! You tell him.'
Manager: 'Just tell him.'

Server: 'No way! This is weird. I'm going in back.

The manager approaches me and says,
'I'm sorry, but we don't take big bills this time of night.'

Me: 'It's only seven o'clock! Well then, here's a two dollar bill.'
Manager: 'We don't take those, either.'
Me: 'Why not?'
Manager: 'I think you know why.'
Me: 'No really, tell me why.'

Manager: 'Please leave before I call mall security.'
Me: 'Excuse me?'
Manager: 'Please leave before I call mall security.'
Me: 'What on earth for?'
Manager: 'Please, sir..'

Me: 'Uh, go ahead, call them.'
Manager: 'Would you please just leave?'
Me: 'No.'
Manager: 'Fine -- have it your way then.'
Me: 'Hey, that's Burger King, isn't it?'

At this point, he backs away from me and calls mall security on the phone around the corner. I have two people staring at me from the dining area and I begin laughing out loud, just for effect.

A few minutes later this 45-year-oldish guy comes in.

Guard: 'Yeah, Mike, what's up?'
Manager (whispering): 'This guy is trying to give me some (pause) funny money.'
Guard: 'No kidding! What?'
Manager: 'Get this. A two dollar bill.'
Guard (incredulous): 'Why would a guy fake a two dollar bill?'
Manager: 'I don't know. He's kinda weird. He says the only other thing he has is a fifty.'
Guard: 'Oh, so the fifty's fake!'
Manager: 'No, the two dollar bill is.'
Guard: 'Why would he fake a two dollar bill?'
Manager : 'I don't know! Can you talk to him, and get him out of here?'
Guard: 'Yeah.'

Security Guard walks over to me and......
Guard: 'Mike here tells me you have some fake bills you're trying to use.'
Me: 'Uh, no.'
Guard: 'Lemme see 'em.'
Me: 'Why?'
Guard: 'Do you want me to get the cops in here?'

At this point I'm ready to say, 'Sure, please!' but I want to eat, so I say, 'I'm just trying to buy a burrito and pay for it with this two dollar bill.

I put the bill up near his face, and he flinches like I'm taking a swing at him. He takes the bill, turns it over a few times in his hands, and he says, 'Hey, Mike, what's wrong with this bill?'
Manager: 'It's fake.'
Guard: 'It doesn't look fake to me.'
Manager: 'But it's a two dollar bill.'
Guard: 'Yeah? '
Manager: 'Well, there's no such thing, is there?'

The security guard and I both look at him like he's an idiot and it dawns on the guy that he has no clue and is an idiot.

So, it turns out that my burrito was free, and he threw in a small drink and some of those cinnamon thingies, too.

Made me want to get a whole stack of two dollar bills just to see what happens when I try to buy stuff.

How is this Hurting Anyone?

For the people who have a religious point of view on gay marriage , please put that aside for the moment and ask yourself this question , how is it hurting you? 

Most gay marriage laws do not force churches to marry homosexual individuals, so that it doesn't infringe on your rights to believe in what you want to believe in. I also assume that most gay marriages are entered into willingly by both individuals , they are not being forced into a marriage. 

So why is this a problem?

I understand that people think that it is wrong, and no one is asking you to change your beliefs that it is wrong. I also assure you that most gay couples know about the views that some of you hold, but isn't really up to each individual to determine what makes them happy and if it is not hurting anyone else then why shouldn't people pursue what makes them happy? 

Doesn't it say in the Bible that those without sin can cast the first stone? Who are we to judge other people, doesn't the final judgement fall in God's hands? 

There is just too much hate in this world, and some of it comes from those who are supposed to be preaching about love.

Putting Things Into Perspective

When life gets you down a video like this enters your life and makes you think you have it pretty darn easy. Please take the time to watch and share this Video of Dick and Rick Hoyt, you will be glad you did.

Please share this with as many people as you can, awesome story.

Slingshot

Every year since 2010 I have started training for some big race during the dead of winter. I always feel the same at this time of year. I feel slow, I feel  held back and I start to get depressed and wonder why I lace up my shoes and get out there and put my body through it , when I could be on the couch in my warm house watching a movie, or reading a book or playing chess online.

Another reason I love running in the snow, scenes like this

I look at it this way, I have to endure the cold, the snow,slush, wind and plain crap that this area of the world throws at you this time of year because when the weather changes, gets warmer and the crap goes away.....

I can fly

I have decided to liken this time of year to someone pulling back on a slingshot and when the weather gets more to my liking ,is when I release the weapon and I come flying out. Once the weather breaks my times get faster, my energy level gets higher and then I realize why I train outside in the bad weather.

As I get older it will become inevitable that I will break down and get a treadmill because I am sure this running in the cold is doing some sort of damage long term to my body. But for know I will press on , for now it is about achieving my goals and living my dream .

Don't Blog Angry

 Today I was going to write my part 2 of the assault on our freedoms, but I have decided to make a new rule and not to write anything here while I am angry. So today I have decided to take a breath and let all that happened just soak in and worry about it later , be clear headed.

You should never blog angry , because your arguments will  most likely be torn apart and you will look foolish. When you are angry and you feel the need to write a blog , post a video of Family Guy:


There are many things that have made me angry these past couple days such as :

1. The realization that I have to live another 4 years with Obama as president
2. The Baltimore Ravens are in the Superbowl
3. The wind chill is below zero degrees and I want to go running
4. My attempts to make the band Duran Duran the official "Fab Four" from England has gone unnoticed

These are the 4 biggest things among others that have put me in a foul mood. Blogging sometimes helps, but today as I sit here writing this, it is not helping . So maybe I should just walk away or maybe I will just post a picture of my brother in my mother's nightgown:

Now I feel better

The Assault on Freedom -Part 1

I see the pictures

These are the pictures that people post on their Facebook pages that show Adolf Hitler surrounded by children as he tries to gain support of the German people by saying his programs will create a better country in the future for our children.

I do disagree in the comparisons that people use to compare Hitler's plan to Obama's plan. I don't believe that Obama plans for our country are the same as Hitler's. This is not to say that Obama's policies are good for our country, they are not. I believe his intentions are good based on what he believes, that government is the answer. I believe that the more the government gets involved in our lives the more freedoms we lose.

So the assault on our freedoms is not intentional, it is happening because we (as a country) have elected people who believe that government is the answer . As our government programs such as welfare, food stamps and Obamacare grow larger and more people rely on them for their survival , this makes for a bigger government and we as taxpayers have to fund this government which means we all have to pay more in taxes, and that will increase.

The people that are on these programs vote. The majority will vote for people who support these programs and these people will get re-elected. As the people who depend upon government programs increase, the more people who vote for these policies will increase, which will only increase the size and power of our government .

"Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day , teach him how to fish , he will eat forever" is a quote that always comes to mind when I think about what these programs should be about. They should be about getting people back on their feet and getting them back out to work . I am not saying to eliminate these programs (except for Obamacare... that needs to go).If you want more revenue for our government , we need to cut taxes , give businesses incentives (tax breaks , etc.) to hire more people and get people back to work so they are paying taxes which will then create more revenue. These programs will then not have to be funded as heavily as they are and we then could use that money to pay off our increasing debt. Everyone wins.

This is the first in a series about the assault on our freedoms. Please comment below 

Change Is Easy....To Say

You are the one that chooses if the change in your life is a success or Failure

Last night I watched the "Biggest Loser" . I haven't watched the show in a while, but I have always drawn some inspiration from it. It is neat to see the people on the show change over the few weeks , both in their confidence and physical appearance. Granted there are professional trainers there in your face the whole time yelling at you and pushing you to achieve your goals . It is still neat to see the change.

Last night, there was a participant who walked off the show . She was given the choice to do the exercises or leave the show. She chose to leave. It really got me to think about what it really takes to change something about yourself and the hard work that it takes . She kept saying on her exit interview she didn't know how hard it was going to be, both mentally and physically.

Many people talk about changing an aspect of their lives, whether it is losing weight,quitting smoking, changing jobs or anything like that. For the majority of us when we get to the point where we want to do something about it, we find excuses not to do it. Then we convince ourselves that those excuses are valid.

Talking about changing ourselves is the easy part, the hard part is the day to day decisions that we have to make to make that change a reality. Change is NOT easy, but becomes easier when you realize that most of the excuses you make to go ahead with the change are not valid and you push through it and create a culture in your life for believing in success, not failure.

So before we throw away those New Years resolutions, think about the reasons that you are not going to complete them. Are the reasons excuses to make you feel better about yourself when you fail?